Regarding the words of Chazal that "the oneh amen is greater than the mevarech," many of the early sages have already asked: Isn’t the mevarech the initiator and the one who does the deed, while the oneh amen merely joins him? Why then is he greater than the mevarech?
The Sfas Emes explains this in two ways:
- The brachah is limited in accordance with his understanding and the broadness of the knowledge of the mevarech about the greatness of Hashem. But the oneh amen, who is drawn after the brachah of his friend, with emunah peshutah, has no limitation, because emunah is not contingent on understanding and perception, and it is has been perpetuated in all its strength in all generations. Therefore, Chazal say that the oneh amen is greater than the mevarech. (Ki Savo 5641, based on Birchas Eliyahu p. 126)
- In this world we cannot do the act of a mitzvah with the requisite shleimus, and only the ratzon in the heart of a person to do the mitzvah can be pure and complete. Therefore, while the mevarech cannot say the brachah with shleimus, answering amen, which is not a deed in its own right, but rather expresses agreement and desire to join the words of the mevarech, can be done with shleimus, and therefore, the level of the oneh amen is greater than the mevarech. (Ki Savo 5638)
Amen Spares from the Darkness of Gehinnom
בכל אפלה חשך ויהי השמים על ידו את משה ויט" (כב י) "ימים שלשת מצרים ארץ
The holy Zohar (Vayeilech 286a) says very awesome things about the great punishment of one who is lax about answering amen. After describing the lowest level in Gehinnom, of which Shlomo Hamelech says (Mishlei 15:11): "She’ol v’avadon negged Hashem," the Zohar writes: "To that place [the lowest level in Gehinnom that is called ‘she’ol v’avadon’) descend the people who are scornful about answering amen, and they are judged in Gehinnom for the many amens that were lost to them because they did not hold them in importance" (and see Rabbeinu Bechayei Shemos 14 1).
Rav Chaim Vital added: The first letter of the word amen is aleph. The letters of אל"ף can also spell אפל– darkness, meaning: double darkness like the darkness in Mitzrayim (see Rashi here). To teach us that one who is lax about answering amen will ultimately be sentenced to the seventh level of Gehinnom, from where the darkness in Egypt was drawn. (Pri Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar Kavanas Amen 3)
Based on this, the Rebbe Rav Meir of Dzhikov explained the words brought after Makkas Choshech (11:8): "צא צא– "...אתה וכל העם is numerically equivalent to אמן to allude that one who is careful to answer amen properly will be spared from the darkness and the afeilah that one who is lax about amen is subject to. (Imrei Noam)
This is the place to bring the words of the mekubal, Rav Meir Schwartz of Podhajce. After he copied in his will the words of the Zohar above, he went on to warn his descendants: "My dear children, believe, that when I saw this in the holy Zohar here, and in the Zohar Chadash as well, my hairs stood on end. Woe to me and woe to my soul how many times I lost out on a few amens. Therefore, ‘lema’an Hashem! Lema’an Hashem! Be very, very careful to hear every brachah from the mevarech in order to know which way to say amen properly. (Hanhagos Tzaddikim Vol. V, p. 445)
